A Matter of Trust
by Pupcake125
Summary: After a routine procedure, Ulquiorra is left nearly powerless and Orihime is there to comfort him. Will Ulquiorra get his powers back, or will he be stuck, useless and powerless? Can Orihime help him in any way? K just in case.


**So, I made another short story... maybe I should've focused on homework...? NAH! Ain't got time for that! XD Thought of this idea for a story and I was like "UlquiHime!" and here it is! Anyway, for the summary; Ulquiorra had a procedure done in the human world and the medication is affecting his powers. Orihime is there to comfort him, but will Ulquiorra ever be the same? I guess there's some OOC in here, don't like it, don't READ IT! Enjoy! (I do NOT own any characters or content!)**

* * *

Orihime awoke in the dead of night to the sounds of painful grunts and screeching followed by a loud thud and what seemed to be a frustrated growl. Leaping out of bed, Orihime grabbed her sweater and slung it over her shoulders. She made her way down the hallway to Ulquiorra's room and opened the door just a tad.

"Ulqui?" she said quietly. When there was no answer, she opened the door completely and saw that he wasn't there. His bed was a mess and his window was wide open. Where did he go? Perhaps the bathroom, but what was that terrifying noise she heard? She walked over to the window and peered out. It was a calm, quiet night. The stars were twinkling and the crescent moon was gleaming its white shine. She smiled at how beautiful it was. If only Ulquiorra was up to enjoy it with her.

Just then, a flash of black shot past the window with a deep bellow, startling Orihime and sending her flying backwards with a frightened scream. She landed on her backside and scrambled backwards until she hit the door. What on earth was that?! Scraping was heard, as if whatever flew by was trying to crawl up the house. Another howl ripped through the air and through the corner of the window, a long, black, scaly wing was flapping and beating against the window pane.

"U-Ulquiorra?" Orihime whispered, her eyes wide in terror. The wing disappeared and another loud distressed bellow rang through the air. Orihime scrambled to her feet and hurried to the window. She looked up, and then down and saw the creature crashing to the ground in a pile of grass and dirt. The long black wings, long tail, ebony hair and ivory horns; it was Ulquiorra. "Ulquiorra!" Orihime called. Ulquiorra didn't respond to her call and took flight again. With a frustrated growl, his wings flapped hard, but he hardly got anywhere. He turned in mid-air and hit the side of the house, his claws scraping against the side of the home in an attempt to reach Orihime at the window, but he pushed off the house and glided to the ground, hitting it hard. "Ulquiorra, don't move! I'm coming down!" Orihime cried. Ulquiorra let out a loud frustrated holler before taking to the air once again.

'_I've been at this for hours now! Why can't I get up?!_' Ulquiorra thought in aggravation. He veered once again, howling in disbelief as he plummeted to the ground with a hard thud. He coughed hard, ridding of the dirt that entered his mouth once again. He let his body sink to the ground and his wings droop pathetically. What had he come to? Why wasn't he able to fly? He heard soft footsteps and looked up. He saw her; Orihime, clad in a light nightgown and a thin sweater. She had a look of concern on her pale face. She looked tired. He must've awaken her with all his commotion and uproar he was causing outside. He turned his head away and closed his eyes. What was he doing.

"Are you all right, Ulquiorra?" she bent down, placing a soft hand on his head. "What're you doing out here this late at night anyway?" she asked. Ulquiorra let out a long groan and shifted on his side. He was exhausted now. Why had he tried to accomplish something he knew he couldn't? "Ulquiorra?" Orihime whispered.

"I can't fly..." Ulquiorra said, ashamed. Orihime didn't know what to say. Silent fell upon the two for a while before Orihime started to stroke Ulquiorra behind the horns. He immediately responded and started to moan loudly. How he loved when Orihime stroked him like this. It made him feel calm and it felt nice. It was against his pride to let a woman do this to him, but he couldn't resist.

"It's okay, Ulquiorra." she whispered. It was most certainly _not_ okay! The great Arrancar he was, not being able to fly with his glorious wings. It was absurd. It was outrageous. He looked up at her, his jade eyes wide and full of uncertainty.

"Onna, I cannot fly. How is this all right? This cannot be. This cannot happen..." Ulquiorra let his head fall back down to the grass, panting heavily. Orihime looked up to the second-floor window and saw just how much damage was done by Ulquiorra's attempts to fly. Many shingles were missing from her roof, the neighboring tree was missing a decent amount of branches, the side of the house was covered in claw marks and was missing siding, and the ground had indents and patches of missing grass. Ulquiorra on the other hand, was a little bit bruised, but Orihime knew that his pride was hurt most of all.

Ulquiorra's wings were in perfect physical condition to fly, and Orihime knew how well of a flier he was. He was very powerful, skillful, and very protective of Orihime. Only up until a recent procedure had Ulquiorra's body made some strange changes. Ulquiorra had to have his appendix removed after it was near bursting inside of him. Ever since then, Ulquiorra has been acting funny. The medicine he was prescribed made him tired and fatigued and overall sluggish. Ulquiorra saw no use in ingesting such a drug, but the pain made him succumb to the relief. Along with that, some of Ulquiorra's... 'extra' body parts would randomly appear.

Like last week when they were sitting on the couch and Ulquiorra's horns suddenly popped out of his head at random, and the time they were sitting for dinner and Orihime was startled by his tail suddenly tickling at her side. He claimed to have no control over it and it seemed to have gotten worse when he was lying in bed when his wings suddenly sprouted and nearly crashed through the window. It startled Ulquiorra as much as it did Orihime, and neither of them knew what to do.

Now, Ulquiorra felt defeated. His many attempts failed at flying. The house was in shambles on the outside and Orihime was puzzled. However, now that she thought about it, all this happened right around the time he took his pain medication. Then it struck her. This all made sense. With a warm smile, she gently cupped Ulquiorra's face and made him look up at her.

"Ulqui, this is all temporary." she said. He blinked at her. What did she mean? "This'll all end as soon as the medication wears out." she placed a kiss on his nose and he was left with a shocked expression.

"And when will that time come, Onna?" he asked her, desperate for an answer.

"Well, it'll still be a few weeks until your body has healed from the procedure." she answered. Ulquiorra shook his head. A few weeks? He couldn't wait that long. He need to be able to be strong again. Now.

"I can't wait that long. I need to fly. I need to fly now!" he roared before his wings rose again and he launched himself from the ground. The wind caused by his wings pushed at Orihime and she watched as Ulquiorra made it a few yards into the air, scraping his claws against the house and kicking his feet against the side before he swerved towards the tree and crashed into the branches with a painful holler. Branches cracked and snapped and Ulquiorra plunged to the ground with a hard thud, the debris of the poor Sycamore falling with him. He groaned in defeat and let his wings fall to the grass. He gave up. He panted hard for air. He was tired and weak. He wanted to crumple up in a ball and die. Orihime rushed to his side and fell to her knees, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Ulquiorra, please stop." she begged. Ulquiorra complied and stayed still. He didn't have any plans to try again. He was too hurt physically, and mentally. "You must rest. If you don't allow your body to recover, you'll only worsen." she told him. Ulquiorra huffed loudly. He can't wait that long. He couldn't... this isn't happening!

"Onna..." he breathed. He felt her hand rest on his claws. He looked up at her, hurt and frustrated. Orihime bent over and kissed his forehead. She understood how he felt, though she didn't possess any of his powers. She knew how it felt to feel helpless and weak and utterly useless. She took his hand into hers, delicately avoiding his black claws, scraped and soiled with dirt. He was covered in dirt and dust from his relentless attempts at flying.

"I promise you, Ulquiorra. You will be able to control yourself in time. If you don't rest, you'll get worse and won't be able to do anything. Do you trust me?" she asked him. Ulquiorra kept his eyes locked with hers. Yes, he trusted her, but this is his power, his life at stake. What if it didn't get better? How did she know?

"But, Onna..." he muttered. She only smiled at him.

"Trust me, Ulqui. I promise you'll get better." she whispered. Ulquiorra decided to take her word. What else was he to go on? She was his last hope and he need it. She felt him pull at his arm and he slowly sat up, bits of dirt and blades of grass and twigs falling from his pale body. He shook off the tightness in his muscles and dust and stared at the woman. She seemed to bright. How could she feel so happy about any of this? This was nothing to be joyous about. But, she has never steered him down the wrong path before, so why not trust her? He had nothing else to do.

Ulquiorra rose his wing and folded it, wrapping it around Orihime and pushing her closer to him. He wrapped his furry arms around her and wrapped his tail protectively around her thin waist. Orihime blushed at his closeness. It was rare for him to be 'touchy' like this, and he wasn't too keen on showing affection in his second release, especially outside of their home.

"I trust you, Onna..." he whispered, resting his head on her shoulder. Orihime smiled and reached up, petting his dusty hair. He smelled of sweat. He was trying really hard with this. It broke Orihime's heart that he hurt himself trying to achieve his goal, but now she has the answer, and that answer is to wait.

"Lets go back to bed, Ulqui." she whispered. Ulquiorra released her and looked in her eyes. He nodded before he returned to his normal-self and stood up with Orihime holding his hand. "I would never lie to you, Ulquiorra. I promise you that."

* * *

Weeks passed and Ulquiorra had ceased his attempts to fly as Orihime instructed him to. His body still spontaneously grew into parts of his second form, but they were less frequent now that the medicine was gone. His body still needed time for his body to recuperate. He wasn't very patient. The thought of his greatest abilities being on a standstill, for the first time, frightened him. Everyday he pestered Orihime, asking when his powers were to return, but her answer was always the same;

"Be patient."

He sizzled at those words. Everytime he heard those two words, he felt enraged. He needed answers, not silly human , he did notice the more he forgot about it, the more Orihime gave him attention. He found it odd, but he liked it. To have her spend more time with him and be near him whilst he spent his lonely days in his room. She even indulged in a passionate session of necking. He rarely got to mark her like that, and when she allowed him to do that, it got his mind off of things rather quickly.

He still didn't understand how this simple human drug, which was supposed to rid of the pain he felt in his gut, made him literally powerless. He couldn't fly, and could barely hold his second release for long. Did humans feel bad when they took things like this? Ulquiorra remembered faintly of a story Orihime had told him about a human drug that caused one to see things that were not existent and make them act murderously. She also said how much trouble a person could experience if they were caught even possessing this drug. Being locked behind steel bars and forced to eat food worse than her cooking. If such a thing is so practically harmful and useless, why own it? It made no sense to Ulquiorra; these bewildering human ways. Nevertheless, he still enjoyed being with Orihime, even if her actions proved hard to understand.

* * *

As the days wore away, Orihime found Ulquiorra becoming quieter, and quieter. He always went to bed early and stayed in there through the night, not even going to the bathroom like he would do sometimes. He was always still and utterly silent in his room It made her a little curious and sometimes she would try to eavesdrop on him, pressing her ear to his door, but there was no sound. Just the quiet stillness of the air.

Tonight was no different. It was late evening and the sun was just beginning to rest below the horizon. Ulquiorra had once again retired early, and Orihime was getting worried. She wondered if he was suffering from complications from the procedure. It's been over a month since Ulquiorra's had his appendix removed, and he seemed to be okay, but this was Ulquiorra, who concealed his pain and discomfort with ease.

So, Orihime knocked on his door. When there was no answer, she knocked harder and more frequently, thinking he was asleep. There was still no answer.

"Ulqui?" she called softly, opening his door. As if history was repeating itself, Ulquiorra was not in his bed, his window wide open and the breeze blowing at the curtains. Orihime walked to the window and looked out. She looked up and still saw the scratches and chips of missing paint on the side of the house. Her neighbors hadn't seen Ulquiorra the night of his struggle, and questioned her if raccoons had raided her house. Orihime didn't say anything and played it off like she didn't know, which only made her neighbors even more suspicious. Ever since Ulquiorra moved in with Orihime, her neighbors have kept their distance and gave unfriendly glares and glances. Orihime ignored him. They didn't matter to her as long as she had Ulquiorra with her.

Tonight, however, Ulquiorra was gone. He was nowhere in sight and Orihime wondered if he ran off somewhere. Perhaps each day he went to bed early, he really snuck out to find a place elsewhere he could live. The thought made Orihime feel unwanted. Feeling dejected, Orihime sighed and turned to leave, accepting the possibility he was never coming back. She then heard a loud snap and whipped her head back towards the window.

"Ulquiorra?" she whispered. She walked back towards the window and leaned out, looking outwards towards the sinking sun. The dim light gave off a warm, welcoming head and the breeze blew at Orihime, making her hair flow in the wind. She smiled. She loved this feeling. If only Ulquiorra could enjoy the sunset as much as she did.

"Ulquiorra..." Orihime frowned. Orihime sighed again, ready to return to bed when she was suddenly jerked from her place at the window, something gripping both of her arms, and carried off. Orihime let out an ear-piercing scream as she saw the ground leave her sight. She felt herself being lifted higher and higher, barely able to see the green grass in the dimming light. She screamed again, eyes bolted shut, flailing helplessly as she felt herself airborne.

"Why do you scream, Onna?" Orihime's eyes bolted open. She only knew one person that called her "Onna". She looked up and saw the ebony hair, long pearl-horns, and long talon-like nails gently locking onto her skin.

"Ul-Ulquiorra..." Orihime breathed. Then it hit her. He was flying... he was flying! Ulquiorra was finally flying again! "Ulquiorra! You're flying! You really are!" Orihime squealed. Ulquiorra looked down to her and smiled slightly. He pulled her closer to him and clasped his arms around her thin waist, holding her tightly to his chest. Orihime wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him for dear life as he soared through the sky effortlessly. She had almost forgotten her fear of heights and shut her eyes tight to avoid looking down and getting queasy from being up so high. "Ul-Ulqui, where are we going?!" she asked, panicked.

"Be patient, Onna." he said. Orihime gasped slightly. "We're almost there." Ulquiorra said softly before flapping his wings a few times and soaring downwards. Before long, Orihime could sense they were in a dense part of a forest somewhere, and heard the creaking of branches. She let out a yelp and she felt her self being hung upside down. She was then face-to-face with Ulquiorra's green eyes. Ulquiorra had a habit of hanging upside down like a bat by wrapping his tail around a branch or bar tightly and letting himself hang. He has a slight smile on his face.

"Ulquiorra, I'm so happy you can fly again!" Orihime smiled brightly. Ulquiorra nodded. He had wrapped his wings around her, so she could barely see his bright eyes and the surroundings around her. "Ulquiorra, where are we?" she asked shyly. Ulquiorra's smiled got a tad bigger before he pulled his wings away. Orihime looked to the side and gasped. She was now staring at a beautiful hillside sunset. She looked on, her mouth a gape as she stared at the sun slowly resting on he horizon. The way the bright light radiated off the land. It was stunning. It was beautiful. She loved sunsets.

"What do you think?" Ulquiorra asked, keeping a snug grip around her waist. Orihime was speechless. How did he even know of this place? He was always around her.

"Ulquiorra... it's gorgeous..." she breathed, not keeping her eyes off the fainting orb. "How did you know I loved sunsets?" she asked, looking to him.

"I took notice how much you loved dusk. So, I found this place." he explained. Orihime was on the verge of tears. She never knew Ulquiorra could be so romantic. He was always so blunt, boring, and stiff. He always had that serious attitude, even when she joked around with him or tried to be affectionate. But the question still remained on how he got here in the first place.

"Ulqui, how did you get here?" she asked him. His smile faded and he looked away. What had he been doing.

"I retreated at night to fly here..." he admitted. Orihime gasped. That's why he's been leaving to bed for so early for the past week. "My apologies, Onna, but wanted to give you something... special." he said. Orihime blinked at him. "It was difficult, but I was finally able to gain the energy to glide. I crashed here. Over there." Ulquiorra pointed and Orihime turned her head to look a two trees broken in half and bent awkwardly. He must've hit those things hard. It made her squint to think of the pain he endured.

"You didn't need to do this. You should've rested instead of getting hurt more." she put her hands to his face.

"Pain does not bother me. I trusted you, Orihime." he used her first name... he actually used her first name! "I trusted you, and you were right. I was able to fly again. I'm glad I trusted your words. I'm glad you told me to be patient and wait for the time to come. And as a token of my gratitude, I will bring you here, to the dusk sunset, whenever you please." Ulquiorra finished, smiling at her. Orihime didn't know what to say. Beads of tears formed in her eyes and she threw here arms around his neck again, kissing his lips. She broke after a few moments and smiled at him.

"Ulquiorra..." Orihime breathed.

"You, Onna, have taught me a very important thing." Ulquiorra said. "A matter of trust..."

* * *

**I thought this was cute and reminded me of struggles people go though that are brief, but yet so painful it feels as if it will never end. I can see Ulquiorra calling Orihime "Onna" all the time (if that's what he calls her. I forgot. O.o) and rarely call her by her first name. I liked it. Please review!**


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